Believing Is Key
by Hermionetwo
Summary: A girl of the age of 15 goes on a journey to a place she believed to be fiction. After being thrown into the Harry Potter Universe she stumbled upon a task being sent to her. Having to keep her history secret until the time is right, she must convince Tom Riddle not to become an evil monster and show muggles are no different than wizards.
1. Charlie Key

Charlie Key stared down at her computer screen, a small smile on her face. She was a very big Harry Potter fan so she watched many musical tributes on YouTube. Today she was doing that very thing. There was a certain character in particular that she wished she could change. This fascinating character was none other than Tom Marvolo Riddle also known as Lord Voldemort. There was something about him that interested Charlie; he just seemed to draw her in, like a spider draws flies into a web until they are stuck with nowhere to go. So she spent many hours watching Tom Riddle tributes, her mind wandering to many fantasies of what she would say to Tom to try to get him to see Muggles and the vast expanse of the world in a new light.

Out of habit, she looked over at her clock on her dresser in her pretty tiny room. It read 2:00 am and while that was late, it wasn't the latest she had stayed up. Charlie knew that her father would seriously punish her if he found out, but it was the only time she could use her computer. Her father didn't even realize she had it. The laptop had been a present from her old boyfriend who had died in a car crash. She still had nightmares from the wretched event. She only wished that there truly was a heaven and that he was in a good place. Of course, that did not fill her with much hope because she did not fully believe in God. Charlie thought there was a possibility, but she spent her time in doing things she enjoyed, instead of having to follow a whole bunch of rules, like having to pray or going to church regularly.

So she spent her free time learning everything she could without her father, Daniel Key, finding out. Her father wasn't abusive, but more controlling. He liked everything his way. And his way happened to be having Charlie homeschooled, away from any teens her age, to make sure she did not run away from him like Charlie's mother. She felt a rush of hatred to her mother. How could she leave her with this controlling excuse for a father? Charlie wondered this for years and years after her mother left one morning, leaving her with Daniel and no one to cry to or to understand her.

The fifteen-year-old shook her head, trying to clear her wandering reflections of her past. Charlie's thoughts sometimes seemed to drift whenever she was exhausted. With that in mind, she hid her laptop under her bed, carefully adjusting it so nothing could be seen unless looked for. As she got into bed, her mind went back to Tom Riddle and the Harry Potter universe. If only she could be in a place with magic, even if there were darkness and evil in that world. Charlie wanted nothing more than to be able to wave a wand and to be able to lift an object, or even duel.

Far away, in a universe away from all others stood a being of raw power. It did not look like anything at all but was simply power. This power, however, had conscious ideas and feelings like any other human. And this entity could sense a shift in a person in one of its universe's. It did not expect this, but even it could be surprised. After all, the power let its creations have free will to choose. It saw the desperation in this child. Even the power saw that she no longer fit in this world, and her personality would be better for another.

The power gathered its magic to help the girl as nobody but it could transport between universes. She would end up destroying the entire world she lived on and herself in the attempt. Once it collected its power, it released it to the girl.

Charlie was sleeping in her medium sized bed with white covers. She twisted and turned in her sleep and a strange feeling built inside of her. She then suddenly woke to find a rainbow of different colors around her, emanating an ancient energy. By this time Charlie was panicking, but the pressing feeling in her chest seemed to try to calm her. The colors swirled around her, dancing as if saying to be calm and it in. Her subconscious mind seemed to comprehend these intoxicating sensations, so her body untensed, albeit still hesitant. The power rushed to her, claiming her as its own. She felt her body get light like she was merely floating on the world's fluffiest cloud.

Then came the weight and suffocation. The sense of being compacted and squeezed down a long narrow pipe became her only thought, but then panic came. She was screaming inside herself, as she was unable to move, for someone to help. After what felt like hours, her body went back to normal. Charlie landed on something soft. However, it didn't even come close to that completely weightless feeling she had undergone some time ago.

When Charlie Key opened her eyes, they were met with not to her own familiar room, but a completely different place entirely.


	2. A World Far Away

Charlie opened her brown eyes to find herself staring at a dark purple ceiling. She looked around and found that she was in a small comfy room with a fireplace on one side that was filled with a fire crackling merrily. The walls were the same color as the ceiling, dark purple that filled her with peace. She was laying on a particular comfortable canopy bed with light purple drapes. Despite the fact that she should have been in complete disarray, the room filled her with a sense of calm, almost as if the room was made for her desires.

Reluctantly, she rose from the comfort of the bed. That is when the panic came, but it was still dulled from the room. Had she been kidnapped? If so, then the kidnappers must have wanted her to be relaxed, which was an oddly suspicious prospect. She tried to remember what went on before she got here. Furrowing her brows, she remembered going asleep and then she had woken up to this colorful energy. Pinching her nose to try to remember the blurry mess of memories, charlie then remembered the discomfort of pressure all over her body. She shuddered just thinking about it.

All of a sudden there was a flash of white light filling the room. On reflex, she squeezed her eyes to block the blinding discomfort. Then as soon as it came, it was gone. When she opened her eyes she surveyed the room. On the carpeted floor, her case that contained her medium sized laptop was laying laying sideways on the floor alongside a note. At this point she was anxious and confused. Wanting answers, she strode forward and bent down to pick up the note that had looked neat, almost as if it was typed. It read:

 _Dear Charlie,_

 _When the one that needs change the most is more open, show them the way. History can be changed if one just wishes it to change it in the past. One part of history has already been changed. When people ask "Who are you?" give them your real name. History will be recognized. Say you escaped Grindelwald and went into hiding. You were almost found so you decided to come to one of the safest magical schools. It is imperative that this must be said._

 _Believing in doing the impossible, is what makes it possible._

 _From,_

 _An observer_

"Grindelwald?!" she exclaimed to herself. Images and information popped into her mind, and she was left stunned, wanting to believe it, but not fully being able to.

She had only heard that word in her favorite book series Harry Potter. Then there was the part about magical schools. Surely she had to be imagining this? Charlie pinched her arm and the pain that she didn't expect to come, came. That left three possibilities. Someone kidnapped her and put her up to an elaborate scheme, she was hallucinating, or she was actually in the Harry Potter Universe.

Who was an Observer anyway? Her muddled mind went to creepy stalkers, and she her hair stood up at the thought. Though even though she had no idea who this person was or what his or her personality is, she meraclicy felt a sensation that the person who wrote this was not malevolent.

With her body feeling numb with shock and other emotions she was too overwhelmed to identify, Charlie put the note into her computer case. If she really was in her favorite books series, then she had to make sure no one found out about it. What better way than to hide it in, what she assumed to be, the Room Of Requirement. She should be able to find this place again.

There was another flash of white light, making Charlie squeeze her eyes shut. After the light dimmed she opened her eyes to find a medium sized trunk. Opening the trunk up, she found robes, muggle clothes and toiletries, different assortment of magical books, and other school supplies.

Taking a shuddering breath she sat down, near the appeared items and laptop. Charlie had her legs grossed and he bent over, he heading in her hands. A headache was starting to form from all this information being thrown at her. Everything she had believed to be only real in a book, was real. She remembered her eleventh birthday, hoping beyond hope for that letter to send her off to her dreams. She never told her father. He would not understand the desire of fiction, of the magic behind them, luring her into their depths of freedom. Charlie only saw her father with non-fiction and history books. She, however, never saw the appeal. Science could be interesting, but there was just something about waving a wand and firing spells that captated her.

Rubbing her eyes, she got out her windows eight laptop. Charlie knew muggle - non magical people - technology was not supposed to work inside hogwarts, so she wondered why this mysterious person brought this over. To her surprise, the laptop filled with light. Charlie signed in with her password, and she found it loaded instantly. She discovered her screen already displaying different YouTube and other website tabs, and she couldn't open any new ones or close the ones that were open. The tabs that were there, showed different videos about Harry Potter, and historical events. Charlie had watched all the Harry Potter videos before and new most of the historical events, however, she could not understand what these were for. Perhaps she had to show these to people in hogwarts and try to make them believe her? But then again, that would defeat the point of having a fake background. Shrugging it off, she decided to think upon that at a later point in time.

Getting up off the floor, she put on the robes that were provided. They were perfectly fitted to the shape of her body. Charlie put the laptop at the end of the room so she would find it easily again. She gathered up the trunk and stepped to the exit. She gripped the door knob tightly and turned.


	3. Tom Riddle

Charlie's hand turned with the knob, and the door leading out into the deserted seventh floor of the magical school opened. The red organ in Charlie's chest pounded as she looked all around her. On one side was a vase the size of a person. On the other side of Charlie was a window depicting the night sky that allowed moonlight to stream through the glass. The pale light gave her a small amount of brightness in the blackness of the corridor to make out the castle walls.

A thousand emotions ran through Charlie Key. Childlike glee was the most prominent. The next was a boiling curiosity in wanting to know what the rest of the castle looked like and to discover the secrets described in her favorite book.

Even if this was one hell of a hallucination, it was better than reality. In reality she was stuck with a controlling father. Here she could be magical; She could be something… instead of being some insignificant person, wandering alone, unable to fit in. Her eyes twinkled in hope and overwhelming joy. Then she broke down into sobbes and of relief that rushed through her. Crumpling against the wall that lead into the Room of Requirement, she put her hands on her eyes and let her emotions compact her. After a few minutes she reclaimed her emotions and buried them in her head for the time being. After wiping away her ears, She was finally able to appreciate what was given to her. A new purpose of life ran through her, a certain determination that had long ago been beaten down by self-confidence issues due to her awful father.

In her calm state of mind she recognized this weird feeling going through her body. She had felt this in the room she had just left, but she pushed it away to deal with the situation at hand. It didn't bring panic, it simply seemed like a new addition. Like a new family member that seemed like they were always there, even if they were not.

In her confusion, she did not hear the steady footsteps of someone striding closer to her location.

"A little advice," a voice called out as a bright light appeared in front of her. Startled, Charlie stared at the person who spoke, her heart pounded a million miles a minute. "If you want to sneak out and explore the halls at night, at least make and effort to be quiet."

The boy who spoke had, what looked to be going off of the light from the silently cast lumos and the streaming moonlight, wavy black hair with dark brown eyes. Charlie's breath caught as she recognized the handsome tall male that radiated an air of power. Tom Riddle, one of the most evil and yet intriguing character she had ever stumbled upon, waited with an odd mix of patience and inpatientioness, that only a person who knew him could tell he only felt annoyance at the current situation. He looked almost identical to the Tom Riddle that appeared in the second addition of the Harry Potter film.

A mix of intrigue and animosity whammed full force into her chock-full brain. While she hated this character with a passion for the future murders of the characters she would give her life for, she couldn't deny he was nowhere near as insane as he would be. Then again, that could make him more dangerous. Her emotions betrayed her with her eyes that glared at the handsome male in front of her. Then Charlie realised what was happening and quickly tried to put on a more neutral stance.

"I...uh...My name's Charlie Key. I don't really go to school here," explained Charlie. "Can you take me to the Headmaster?"

Tom stared at her for a bit, eyes narrowed, as if searching her for any lie. Charlie shifted under his intense gaze, and made sure not to look directly into his eyes. She made that mistake once while looking at him. Charlie wasn't sure if he had the ability to do legitimacy yet, and someone looking into her mind was not something she felt comfortable with. Especially, if he was able to find information about the future. That would be a disaster. Visions of him succeeding in the war came to mind. Blood, torture and screams stabbed through her, followed by bigotry and pure ignorance. Charlie swore to herself to make sure that did not happen, nor would any of the deaths that happened in the Harry Potter series. Sirius Black will live, and so will Remus Lupin, Lily Potter, James Potter, Severus Snape, and of course Fred Weasley. Plus many others that gave their lives in the many battles.

"Very well, Miss Key," Tom spoke at last, though he seemed colder, even if it was a polite response.

He nodded his head and motioned her to follow him through the castle. His features were fixed with politeness, though Charlie could see burning curiosity, the wish to know and control everything. She wasn't sure if the reason she knew this was because she knew his manipulations and that was how she could tell, or if he was simply slipping. The former was most likely however. Charlie could not imagine Tom Riddle showing his true emotions. Voldemort, while still smart at times, is more prone to show his emotions, but Riddle, not as much.

"Here let me take this for you," Tom suggested with politeness, looking at Charlie's tunk.

Obviously this was just part of his facade. "I got it thanks," she said coldly, but immediately regretted it. That outburst would simply draw attention to herself. Apparently this was going to be more taxing than she thought. "Sorry," She forced out, "I've been a little irritable lately, and I sometimes don't take kindly for someone who I don't know asking to help me," Charlie explained. At least that part was true. "What is your name by the way? Since you know mine."

"Tom Riddle," His face seemed to cringe a little; Charlie remembered he disliked his own name, "What is your magical school that you attend?" He continued, as they walked through the halls to finally stop near a stone gargoyle.

This question threw Charlie off guard as she blinked owlishly at Tom. Mentally she cursed herself for being so dumb; Of course he would hear that her accent was not even close to British. Shaking her head, she answered what the letter in the Room Of Requirement told her too. "I, er, was homeschooled in the U.S," She answered, her voice only wavered in the beginning, thankfully straightening out and emitting a confident and truthful sound.

That was enough to break the mask of Riddle as he starred curiously at Charlie with slight distaste, but formed back into his neutral stance, only now looking at the gargoyle, muttering the password quietly so she was unable to listen in. The gargoyle moved to reveal a spiral staircase that lead to the current Headmasters office. Biting her lip in nervousness, she followed Tom up the stone stairs, frantically trying to remember every specific detail that was included in the message. Thankfully her memorization skills normally skyrocketed under pressure due to the extreme measures her father put her under with her education. Tom knocked loudly on the door and received a tired come in.

Tom opened the door and held it open for Charlie. Normally Charlie would have been thankful, but she knew that it was all fake. The polite attitude, and kindness were only there to deceive the ones who did not know the truth, but instead of showing this train of thought, Charlie smiled in gratitude. However, Charlie knew she could not fully lie to the young wizard. He was bound to pick up her mannerisms, but hopefully she could deter him for at least a little bit.

Looking around she was surprised to find it different from the books. Then realizing why, she mentally cursed herself for being so disoriented. Obviously during Tom Riddle's time, Dumbledore was not the headmaster. There were no magical complicated contraptions around the room and no Albus Dumbledore. An old man with brown eyes and white hair looked up from the pile of paperwork. Circles were forming under his eyes from the stressful work and lack of sleep.

"Ah, Riddle my boy," The old man welcomed, "Who is this you have with you?"

Before Tom could answer for her, Charlie interjected, "Charlie Key, Sir." It felt odd to call someone sir. In the U.S she always called the adult Mister, Miss, or Misses, but she knew from reading the Harry Potter books that all the characters use Sir.

"I was homeschooled from the United States and I wish do go to school here. Please Sir, is it possible to transfer here even after having years of education from homeschooling?" Charlie wanted to sound professional to make a good impression, but also seem a tad desperate.

His face seemed to morph into surprise, before it returned to tired, but welcoming. "Transfers are rare, but we do accept them in Hogwarts, but I must ask… why not a school in the United States?" He politely asked.

"My father and mother have heard great things about Hogwarts through their British friends. They always said that if I were to go to a magical school, it would be this one," She quickly explained. Lying to, who she now realized, Armando Dippet was surprisingly easy. The words seemed to flow through her mouth with little to no effort, but she did feel slightly guilty.

"And where are your parents now?" He questioned. Riddle looked over at Charlie at this question.

She gulped before her eyes drifted to the floor and she bit her lip. This was the questions that she was waiting for. She was not very experienced in acting, but Charlie did have to act in order to sneak around her father.

Charlie parted her lips slightly and gazed at the floor unblinkingly. In a few seconds, Charlie's eyes started to water. Looking up to the headmaster, she made her face morph into a hopeless face with burning anger that almost penetrated the surface. It was how she felt while dealing with her father. Even though he was controlling she couldn't help but love him. So her heart and throat will burn in the effort of holding back tears and making sure she did not burst into a fire spitting speech.

"My parents were murdered by Grindlewald..."

 **A/N: Sorry for the long wait! It took me a long time to write this chapter and I wanted more to it, but it was already longer than the other two chapters so I ended up splitting them. Sorry for the cliffhanger!**


	4. Realization and The Magical Talking Hat

_"My parents were murdered by Grindelwald…"_

The room filled with silence as the Headmaster gazed her with pity and shock. His face became pale and he seemed to be unable to say a word. Charlie looked over at Tom, almost making eye contact, yet not quite. He seemed to be trying to scan her for details again. His countenance altered into a one of reassurance and strode toward her, gently laying a hand on Charlie's shaking shoulder. She flinched back from his touch when the pale hand sent a cold shiver down her spine. His gaze rested on her for a while, until he broke the silence.

"Who were your parents Miss Key?" He questioned, his voice echoing power and demand. However, it was softer than Charlie expected. He was probably still trying to put up the 'I am amazing and good' act to the headmaster.

"Daniel and Mary Key," She answered in a small voice.

The headmaster looked up, not surprised by this information. "Ah, yes. I suspected as much. I recognized the last name, but I had to be sure," He explained to Tom, who looked like he already knew this information, judging by the bored look. "The Key family is a very famous bloodline, going back for centuries. They all died out except for your father who went against the family and married your mother, who I'm sure you know was a muggle," He gestured to Charlie. "Oh I completely forgot to introduce myself! I am Armando Dippet. Excuse my manners Miss. It is, after all, very late."

"Oh! It's fine, sir," Charlie said awkwardly. Charlie was taken aback by the politeness. Not that she thought Dippet was rude. Charlie had just kept the stigma that wasn't the nicest person in the world due to him not letting Tom spend the summer at the school. It was something that always irked Charlie. Dippet should have thought of a plan to keep the students in a safe and secure place during World War two and the War with Grindelwald. A worn down orphanage was obviously not the ideal place for a child, let alone a child under two wars.

Talking about her fake past was something Charlie wished to keep to a bare minimum, so she brought up the fact that she had gathered everything she needed for this year except for a wand. Before Dippit could ask where her wand disappeared to she interjected, "It broke when I tried to get away from Grindelwald's supporters," said Charlie. "I've heard stories of Ollivander's in America and I knew he most likely knew advanced magic. When I went to Diagon alley I saw some wizards and witches around my age talking about what to purchase. So I gathered my things, and sent out to transfer everything from American to Britain Gringotts. I knew that Ollivander, like most wandmakers, have a certain nack of reading people and I didn't want to take any chances of not being able to go to this school," She explained in a hurry.

This conversation was already bringing Charlie to her breaking point. As a fan, they only gets bits and pieces of background information about the world around them, plus any additional details that are uploaded to Pottermore. Charlie was having a difficult time trying to sort through information, not to mention she was never one to obsessively remember tiny details. Charlie may read it, but she never bothered to fully remember it. It was not like she actually thought she would be conversing with the characters she loved and despised face to face!

"I see," He said thoughtfully. "I will set up a date for you to visit Diagon Alley to buy your wand and any other supplies you may need with one of the professor's here-"

"Sir, I was wondering if I may take Miss Key to Diagon Alley, " Tom interrupted. Charlie's head swiveled over to where Tom stood. Charlie did not want to spend too much time with Riddle right off the bat! She needed to rest and get this whole ridiculous mess sorted before she ended up snapping at people. "The Professors do have classes to teach after all. Having anyone else do it would be highly inconvenient. I am sure I will be able to make up any work that I may owe and helping a fellow student is a great pleasure," He suggested using his sickly suck up voice.

While Charlie did not want to have to converse with Riddle any longer than necessary, she wasn't sure if she should speak up or not. The observer gave her a job to do. A job she realised once she came face to face with Tom Marvolo Riddle. Charlie just did not admit it to herself until now. There was a reason why she came to this time period specifically. She had to miraculously stop Tom Riddle from becoming Voldemort. Perhaps getting to know him would be the first step to the impossible. The whole idea sparked a whole new state of determination in Charlie, along with the blasing coldness of fear.

"Are you sure Riddle? You would after all be missing your prefect duties, but I assume helping a student would more than suffice,"

"I am sure, Sir."

"Well then," Started the Headmaster, " You will go to Diagon Alley as of tomorrow! But first, I must ask, do you know of the four Houses of Hogwarts?"

"Yes sir," stated Charlie.

"Brillant! Do you wish to be sorted now or after a nights rest? It would be easier to have you sorted now and Tom can take you to your common room, or we can fit you into one of the spare rooms in the castle?"

"I can do the sorting now sir," Charlie's mind quickly flashed to the pottermore quizes she had taken in her world. She has taken them many times and it always switched between houses. The ones that appeared the most was Ravenclaw and Slytherin though. Charlie honestly did not know what house she would appear in. She had the cunningness of Slytherin, but she would never sell out her friends for something she wanted. That was the morality of Gryffindor and the loyalty of Hufflepuff speaking. She also had a love for knowledge and books, however in her perspective, Slytherin would be better because they can use that knowledge to their advantage.

The headmaster strood over to a shelf where the ratty sorting hat rested, picked the magical hat up, and handed it to Charlie. Nervously, Charlie rested the sorting hat onto her brown hair.

A inner voice, very different from her own, filled her frantic mind. "Hmm, interesting… A girl from another world…" Charlie's heart spiked at the mention of her situation. "No need to worry, all the secrets of all students are safely stored into me, the sorting hat!"

The other two wizards contemplated Charlie. Dippet, Charlie wasn't as worried about, but she knew Tom was trying decipher what house she would be in, and any indications of her personality based on this hidden conversation. Charlie became self-aware of everything around her in an instant. The presence of the other two wizards nagged at her mind like having music stuck in her head, but more annoying.

"Interesting….," Stated the magical talking hat.

"What do you mean?" Thought Charlie.

"Students have many personalities, some are clear to decipher, while some take time. Hmmm…. I see many different sides in you. More than usual. Plenty of determination, and a thirst to prove yourself….However, sometimes not having the full courage to do so...however I do see plenty of courage at the same time… can be selfish, yet at the same time selfless...I can see you have a preference?"

"In the other world yes. I would like to be in Ravenclaw or Slytherin, but Slytherin would benefit me more in the current situation I'm in,"

"Yes, yes...Better be….SLYTHERIN!" The hat shouted out loud the name of the house so the other two people in the room could clearly hear.

Charlie's eyes instantly wandered over to Tom who was now staring even more intently at Charlie. He probably thought she would be in Gryffindor from the way she snapped at him when they first met. Now, however, he will be looking for fronts in her personally just like a typical Slytherin would do. At that moment she made a conscious decision to strengthen her masks as much as possible. Tom was not the only one who was concentrating on Charlie more than before. While the professor seemed to take a more interest in her now, he did not seem suspicious like Tom which was a relief.

"Now that your sorted and everything as been planned, I think it is time for the both of you to head to your dormitories," suggested the Headmaster. "Tom, would you please make sure Charlie is filled in with the rules and additional information regarding this school and lead her to the Slytherin common room?"

"Yes, sir. It would be my pleasure," said Tom.

Charlie and Tom started walking toward the door with Tom dragging her trunk with wheels across the floor, when Dippit interjected once more, "Oh! Miss Key, remember you are excused from classes for the next two days to get you adjusted to Hogwarts and tomorrow come up to my office to be taken to Diagon Alley by floo right after breakfast. Tom you are excused from classes until Ms. Key comes back from Diagon Alley,"

Charlie and Tom thanked the Headmaster with Charlie's gratitude more truthful than Tom's, and then they left the headmaster's office.


	5. The Slytherin Common Room

As soon as Charlie was alone with Tom yet again, she felt herself tense even more. Charlie kept her eyes trained on the way they were going and the snoring portraits she could barely make out from the lumus Tom had cast. He had started talking about the rules of Hogwarts, which she had heard many times throughout the series of books. Never go to the forbidden forest, do not use magic in the halls, plus many others that were quite obvious on why the students should not venture to do.

They came upon the Grand Staircase, and she was amazed to find just how gigantic everything was. The Harry Potter video games and movies did not put this space to justice Charlie thought as she scanned the moving staircases of the magical school. She couldn't wait till she could see this castle in the daylight. The staircases did move, but moved slower than in the first movies of the Harry Potter series. Charlie somehow felt that Hogwarts alive somehow. She had a feeling that the staircases would never move if it put a student into any danger, and that it was only there for aesthetic reasons. Charlie got this thought that surrounded that the castle was protecting her and somehow welcoming her into the school. Thinking back onto the books, her feeling may be reasonable. After all, many times Dumbledore has said that hogwarts would help those that asked for it, not to mention the Room of Requirement that could change due to one's owns desires.

Her attention strayed back to Tom when he made a strange movement. "That is also something you will have to lookout for," He said looking pointing over a step he had just skipped, "Hogwarts has a trick step for whatever reason except to trip unsuspecting students," Charlie was slightly surprised that he warned her, than again it would not look good for him if he did not be polite. He was trying to gain her trust for some reason. Perhaps he knew she was hiding something? Or he was just suspicious of everyone. Charlie would not put it past him in any case.

"This here coming up is the ground floor," Tom explained. Charlie's head was swimming from all the information she was trying to absorb all at once.

Charlie was led to the entrance hall where there was a staircase that led down to the dungeons. She got a chill when she felt the air change as they descended the stone stairs. A bubble of excitement came upon her knowing they were getting closer to the entrance to the Slytherin Common room. Charlie sincerely hoped that password was not "Pureblood" as it was in the second book when Harry used polyjuice potion to sneak into the common room. If she had to speak that bigotry password just to get into a place that was supposed to feel like home, she was going to have words with someone to change it. Thinking on it a bit more maybe she would not. It wouldn't do for her to draw attention to herself even more this early. If she was to change Tom Riddle and the rest of the school, she was going to have to be cunning; A true Slytherin would not burst forward without some sort of plan. Changing Tom was going to take both beating him in his own game, yet also coming up with her own spin on how to get her way. Charlie decided she must try to stay many steps ahead of Tom as was possible, or she would have no chance.

Tom kept walking until he stopped in front of the damp stone. "The Black Lake," said Tom as a concealed stone door revealed itself and opened, letting both Charlie and Tom through. "The password will change every two weeks and will be posted on the noticeboard," he said in a voice resonating with authority which was how he sounded throughout most of their short tour through the castle.

Charlie's mouth fell open at the sight that greeted her. The entire common room was illuminated by green lamps that were hanging from the stone ceiling. It was like being in medieval times, and of course drastically different from her modern upbringing. Instead of being uncomfortable, it gave her a sense of security and of being fully alive. She had no doubt that if she went to visit the Room of Requirement, the purple atmosphere would be turned into one that resembled the Slytherin Common Room, Charlie's new home. Instead of the walls being entirely of stone, large windows decorated the room, showing the almost dark Black Lake that was only slightly lit by the moon. Ahead of Charlie was an ornate mantelpiece that surrounded a fireplace that held no fire at the moment. Above the fireplace, was a head of a snake with a glaring emerald eye. Charlie thought the entire room was beautifully and professionally made. A lot of thought had been put into it.

"Yes, Salazar Slytherin did have great taste," Tom said.

Startled and embarrassed Charlie quickly closed her mouth. "It's amazing," said Charlie with a genuine smile and a voice of wonder.

Tom lead Charlie to two staircases. "The one on the right leads to the girls dormitories and on the left is to the boys dormitories. Do you know what year you would be in?"

"Uh." Charlie quickly tried to remember what year Tom was when he opened the Chamber Of secrets, if that was even the year she was in now. "Fifth year!" She quickly stated after remembering that prefects only got the position starting in fifth year and Tom opened the chamber in his fifth year as well. If she had not been so fascinated with every tidbit of information about Tom's life, she doubted she would have lasted this far.

Tom seemed to study her for a bit, his cold aura making her heart beat faster by the second. He finally backed off, however the tense atmosphere lingered, like a snake that was simply biding its time until its prey was captured.

"Breakfast is from eight to Nine O'Clock. We will meet at the entrance to the Headmaster's office at nine, and then I will escort you to Diagon Alley," said Tom.

"Thank you," Charlie nodded at Tom.

She then went up the spiral staircase until Charlie meet with a wooden door that was labeled for fifth year students. Unsure of whether to simply go in, or to knock, she decided to do both. The circular room was spacious and was filled with Slytherin House colors. Most of the beds were hidden by closed green drapes, but two beds were left unoccupied.

It wouldn't be right to just walk in there and claim a bed so she called out nervously. The heart inside Charlie's chest pounded erratically, which could be felt in her lip as she bit it. The world stopped and she waited in bated breath for it to proceed once more.

"Who's there?" A voice called out into the darkness. Then through the moonlight, Charlie saw a shape moving, then a few muttered words were said, followed by a bright light that appeared. Charlie blinked and squinted, trying to get used to the bright shining light.

"I'm Charlie Key. I, uh," her voice wavered as she glanced down at the shining ball of light that was right in front of the top of a wand which was also directed right at Charlie.

"I was home schooled, but now I'm in this school. The headmaster just sorted me into Slytherin...You can check with Tom Riddle, if you want confirmation; he was there when I got sorted," Charlie tried to coerce herself into staying calm, however it was difficult when she knew that she was defenseless if the situation went awry.

Charlie heard movement in front of her and slightly to the sides; the rest of the students in the common room are waking up, or most probably, realizing it was safe enough to move. Charlie assumed the Slytherin who got up first was the 'leader' of this dormitory.

The 5th year witch that first got out of her bed made a movement with her wand and said the spell, "Lumos Maxima" and a ball of light went out of the wand, became brighter, and floated to the ceiling, illuminating the whole dormitory. "Watch her," She instructed the other girls, and stormed past Charlie out of the dormitory, presumably to go find Tom Riddle.

Charlie was unsure what to do. She was always awkward in social situations, especially in a situation where most people would not normally experience like this one. Charlie bit her lip, and felt her face heat up. Tension radiated all around the room, not letting any of its captures go. Taking a deep breath, Charlie slowly gained enough courage to try to deal with the situation at hand. Raising her hands to show she had no wand and meant no harm, she tried to explain that she was just going to put her luggage at the nearest empty bed. However, she was met with wands trained at her, not giving in their stance. So instead of sitting on a comfortable bed, Charlie was left in a unpleasant standing position, with eyes trained on her, watching every minuscule shift.

Finally, the girl who first woke up came back. It was hard to tell from the shadowed lighting from the spell, but it seemed her cheeks were tinged a bit pink. Probably either Tom embarrassed her, used his charming looks and fake personality, or most likely both.

"We are to welcome Charlie into Slytherin, and to not question how she came here. Tom has it all dealt with," She explained to the other girls in the dormitory.

Charlie was slightly surprised by that. 'Tom has it all dealt with'? What was that supposed to imply? And they were not even going to question her, just because Tom told them not to? Surly, Tom did not have that much power already over the school. Curiosity, is one of the most difficult instincts that is very hard to be submitted like Tom has apparently done.

They all introduced themselves to Charlie, stating names that Charlie knew would be slightly difficult for her to remember. She was okay at remember information when it was written down, but spoken allowed information that was only stated once, was always a tad difficult for her.

She went to set her stuff near one of the two empty beds. The bed was right across from the entrance, and it felt pretty open. She explained that her wand had been lost and that if it was okay to not stop the Lumus spell at that moment. They surprisingly agreed with her without question, and she brushed her teeth, along with her long brown hair.

After changing in the bathroom, she took a deep breath to calm herself. The day was almost finished, but there were many more days to come. Charlie would have to prepare herself, both emotionally, and mentally. Mentally meaning her intelligence; she had to at least try to catch up with Tom.

She left the bathroom, and she heard one of the girls whisper "Nox." Now there was only moonlight illuminating the room. Charlie sat at her four poster bed, unsure if she could even sleep, but once she laid down, her head situated on her comfortable pillow, the world went black, and she drifted off into a deep sleep.


	6. Mysterious Tom

**A/N: This took so long to do, sorry about that. Also from now out the chapters will become longer as the story progresses.**

Charlie woke up to the sounds of the others stirring, and the chirping of birds announcing that morning had arrived. The sun was shining through a crack in her drapes onto her now open eyes. Everything from the night before came back to her. Laying in shock silence, she contemplated the day ahead.

Tom—when did she start calling him Tom instead of Riddle?—was going to take her to Diagon Alley, and most likely use his charming manipulativation to try to weasel information out of her. He was used to others being complacent with him, and thinking highly of his looks and intellect, but he was also used to others disliking him; shown by the orphanage he was in. The only question would be, is if Tom thought he could use Charlie or not for his own gain. That would determine if he either thought of her as a lowly individual that was not a threat, someone with something to hide, or someone useful to him. Charlie was not sure how she should try this game of manipulation. Should she try to play the trust and admiring route, so he would be interested. But, no that would not work. Charlie has to be different from the rest of the girls to draw his interest. However, did she even want get close with Tom? Surly it would be best to stay away, but this was not about Charlie. This was about changing Tom, and for that, she needed to get close. With her mind made up, Charlie stretched her muscles and got ready for the day ahead.

The Slytherin girls mostly ignored her. They talked amongst themselves while she got dressed in her robes. A Slytherin tie and a scarf was laid out for her in the morning; the house elves doing most likely. While putting on her robes was not exactly needed for today being that she did not have to attend any classes, she wanted to feel magical. Putting on her robes felt like putting a key into a lock and it just fit right into place.

Charlie looked inside the truck beside her bed to find a bag for her to carry her supplies in and after digging around she found one. It was just the perfect size to put everything she needed in it, so she gathered the books that were stuffed into the trunk and put it into her bag. While the Observer may have given her books for that year, there were not books for her to catch up. Charlie knew she was going to go straight to the library after Diagon Alley to catch up with her studies. Her lie of being homeschooled was never going to work if she did not know Magical information. Charlie felt overwhelmed by the amount of facts she had to learn in two days, but hoped the professors would give her some leniency and not call on her too much to answer questions.

Before she left the dormitory for breakfast, the fifth year Slytherin girls said to wait in the common room. Confused, she reluctantly agreed.

Going down into the common room, she was amazing by the design in the daylight. The sun shining in from the lake gave the common room an even more greenish look, not even counting the green lights. It wasn't so green that it was difficult to see, but it was just enough to look amazing, at least to her anyhow.

There were a lot of people hanging around the common room; it seemed like all the Slytherin students, minus a few who were probably still in there common room. The fifth year Slytherin girls came down the spiral stairway; seeing Charlie's confusion they explained.

"Professor Slughorn-the Slytherin Head Of House, always explains everything with the first years and what Slytherin means. He always wants everyone to listen to make sure they never forget," said Melody, the one who had pointed her wand at Charlie before.

Just then as if hearing his name being talked about, Horace Slughorn came though the entrance to the Slytherin Common Room. He was quite large and wide in stature, and bald with an enormous mustache. Charlie thought he looked remarkably different from the movie version of Slughorn. A brought a cheery air into the room, making Charlie release the built up tension in her shoulders. While Charlie did not particularly like Slughorn, she however did not mind him. Charlie only hoped she would not get invited to his arduous Slugclub.

The tension however reared its ugly head when the one and only Tom Riddle strode confidently down the spiral set of stairs. The girls and even some guys looked to him, clearly awestruck by his outward beauty that covered up his vile true nature. Her jaw tensed, wanting so dearly to shout out who Tom really was, but knew nothing would come of it.

A voice startled Charlie from her own brooding, "Ah Tom! What a pleasure to see you again after such a long summer!" Slughorn announced for all to hear.

Tom smirked, "Hello Professor, your speeches are always so informative." Everyone was now looked over in admiration at him, some more than others.

Charlie found it hard to quelsh the bile rising at everyone's adulation. Tom was a soon to be murder, not some top perfect student everyone saw him as. Charlie quickly cut off that line of thinking. She was there to change Tom, not make him into what he could be. That is what Dumbledore did; he did not help Tom. The future headmaster handle the obstacles of Tom's apathy terribly. Charlie could not make the same mistakes Albus Dumbledore would and did do.

The flattering Tom finally stopped buttering up Slughorn, and now the professor was able to start his speech. "I welcome all those who have joined Slytherin this year. To the older years, I hope you all had a wonderful Summer. I can't wait to hear your amazing updates to share in my Slugclub!" Charlie dearly hoped that the professor would not pressure her to join like he did Harry. "To those that are not informed on my wondrous club, it is a way for those who work hard to get ahead and share their own experiences. After a couple months I will ask those whom I see fit to join," Slughorn continued his boisterous energy encompassing all around.

Slughorn spoke about Slytherin being one of the houses that supports its members, and encouraged students of all ages to get involved with the many activities at Hogwarts to earn house points. "Good Luck to everyone this year!" He concluded. Applause broke out, however most of it was respectful clapping with the exception of a few others. Slughorn exited out of the secret passageway to the Slytherin common room.

Charlie was left still feeling anxious about the upcoming year. It could be beneficial for her to join the Slug Club if she got invited. She had no connections except her family name in this universe, and even that as a representation for marrying a muggle. That is an even more of a foreign idea before Harry was born, and it will still be a severe problem then. Charlie must gather connections with others that will make it so her "past" can be overlooked for her abilities and the people she knew. Charlie had to get close to Tom, then noticed and liked by his close group of acquaintances known as the Death Eaters or the Knight of Walpurgis as it is known in this time. Such idea drove a shudder and sickness to rise to her throat. Charlie did not want to become a murderer, but hopefully Tom was not that insane already. Charlie had to rely on her instinct that told her that Tom was sane enough to not try severe fear mongering. Charlie planned on trying to use subliminal messaging to give her an advantage. To have little hints advertising her morals to Tom, and get him to be more open to muggles. The deadline loomed in front of her, taunting her with its ticking time.

Tom walked out of the common room, his uniform fitting snug on his lean pale body. Her legs started walking of their own accord, an endless curiosity that struck her all of a sudden that needed to be fulfilled. Her steps echoed around the walls of the dungeon. Immediately Charlie lighted her steps, going as slow but still efficient in movement as she could. The shadows of the crackling torches covered her form. Tom then turned a corner, vanishing from Charlie's line of sight.

With a hammering heart Charlie continued to follow the young wizard. As she turned the corner, she saw Tom walking up the stairs to the upper floors. While he was likely just going to breakfast, her curiosity kept her pinned to her actions. Suddenly, she heard the falls of Tom's feet come to a stop. Panicly, she stopped her own feet. After what felt like a million years, the echoing falls of a pair of feet started again. With a sigh of relief, Charlie continued to follow.

Charlie caught sight of Tom in the Entrance Hall, but then he just went straight to the Great Hall. Charlie was quite frankly, stunned. Her gut instinct never lead her awry before. It's seemed as if Tom was just going to breakfast. Frustrated, she lead herself into the Great Hall.

The sound of students chattering filled the enormous room. An illusion of today's weather, a clear sky with a few clouds, was pictured above her head. There were four long tables, all having different colors to represent each of the four houses. At the very end was the line of professors where all seats were filled.

In the middle she recognized the headmaster, and to the left… Charlie blinked a couple of times. A man with red hair sat cheerfully with ridiculous looking clothing. For a moment she thought of the Weasley's, but the she remembered Dumbledore! He was described as being a redhead before old age caught up to his scalp!

As she was staring, he looked over at her. His half moon spectacles and twinkling eyes showed a wiseness and caring that fit the wizard. Charlie quickly looked away. She was still angry at Dumbledore, even if his methods did come from the right place.

She went over to the Slytherin table and found space away from some of her peers. There were a few students at the end of the table that seemed like they were unsure of their place. Their faces were down, as if shying away from the rest of the group. Charlie went to investigate the strange isolation.

Picking a person at random, she sat near a wizard that had brown curly hair, and bright blue eyes. Freckles dotted his chubby pale face. He looked like a first year, but she did not want to assume anything.

Charlie introduced herself, and the boy looked up in surprise, fear apparent in his eyes. "It's okay, I just wanted to say Hi. I'm new here. I used to be homeschooled, and now I'm here."

He seemed to have trouble talking, his hands shook with anxiety. That was until, his whispered voice came out. "I saw you around Tom Riddle," my confused face goaded him to say mores, "I hid behind a chair. Tom is scary. I can feel his magic. Stay away please,"

Wanting to reassure the child Charlie said that she would be careful. Out of nowhere the child collapsed with an ear splitting shriek.


End file.
